Palm Sunday - 28/3/2010

Theme: Palm Sunday

Bible Reading

Matthew chapter 21 verses 1-11

Note: on Palm Sunday some churches will tell the entire Holy Week/ Easter story in the form of a play.

Preparation

Select a hymn that includes either the idea of movement (e.g. "We are marching") or the chorus Hosanna (e.g. "Sing Hosanna")

If possible, bring in some palm crosses from the Palm Sunday service.

Introduction

Ask the pupils what is the biggest procession they have ever seen (you may have to talk about processions in films or television). What was it celebrating? Was it a carnival, raising money for charity? Was it soldiers and uniformed organisations on Remembrance Sunday? Was it a special visitor such as a member of the royal family?

The Message

Ask the children to imagine themselves in Jerusalem two thousand years ago. They have come up to the city for a special festival - Passover - and the city is crammed to bursting with visitors, outside the walls of the city are lots of tents, and the prices of everything has doubled or even trebled. Suddenly there is the noise of a large crowd getting closer and closer, people are shouting out "Hosanna" and "Praise God", others are waving branches in the air which they have ripped off of the palm trees. You are curious to know who the procession is for, so you push your way through the crowd, and right in the middle there is just one ordinary looking man riding on a donkey. He doesn't look like a soldier, he hasn't got an army - he doesn't look like a king, he looks poor - and when you ask who he is, his friends tell you he is a teacher from up north!

Of course, the teacher is Jesus. Ask the pupils what are some of the stories about Jesus that the disciples might tell you to show you how important Jesus is (e.g miracle stories; how crowds follow him to listen to his teaching; some of the special stories he told). They would also tell you that they think that Jesus is the one sent by God who is going to save their nation. Who in the assembly thinks they might have joined the crowd? Why would they do that? How do you think people in the crowd felt a few days later when they heard the Roman occupying forces were going to execute the teacher?

The Palm Sunday story is just the first of a set of very important stories about the last week of Jesus' life, which finish with his death and resurrection (which Christians will celebrate next Sunday on Easter Day). On Palm Sunday, many churches will give out palm crosses to those who come, to remind them of the story and how it will end (show any palm crosses you have obtained), and some will include a special procession in the service. The procession might go down the High Street (like the Cathedral procession in Ely), or from one church to another. Like the procession on the first Palm Sunday, it's a way of telling the neighbourhood about the message of Jesus.

Concluding Procession

Finish this act of collective worship with a palm procession of your own - it might be simply around the assembly hall, or you could circle your building, or go from classroom to classroom. If your church is very close by, you could even process to the church. If you can manage to do this while singing your chosen hymn, even better!

Prayer

A prayer of thanks that Jesus was prepared to go through the difficult events of the last week of his life to bring God's salvation to us all.